


people climbing to the light

by oceansonoda



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Schönberg/Boublil, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Afterlife, Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Cosette Fauchelevent (Minor), Death, Enemies to Friends, Fantine (Minor) - Freeform, Gen, Post-Canon, there isnt any explicit romance but its gay u feel, Éponine Thénardier (Minor) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2019-02-12 14:09:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12961011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceansonoda/pseuds/oceansonoda
Summary: "It seems," Javert began, "that trying to find you is all I ever do."





	people climbing to the light

**Author's Note:**

> this fic was written in like early 2016 but i only got the courage to upload it now hehe. again, can be read as platonic or romantic, whatever floats your boat. personally im very here for romantic valvert but i tried to make it readable for those who arent too big on that
> 
> im rly bad at proofreading so pls feel free to comment if i made a mistake, or just if you have anything you want to say!

Rather than _"died,"_ the phrase Jean Valjean preferred to use for what he had done was _"simply stepped into where I should have been for quite some time now_.” 24601, Monsieur Madeleine, 9430, Fauchelevent – none of it mattered anymore. Certainly, at his core, he was  Jean Valjean, the man who had buried himself under layers upon layers of disguise for his own protection and for those he cared for – but none of that seemed to be of any importance here and now. He was himself, and the realization was both disconcerting and liberating.

With Fantine holding one of his hands and Éponine clutching the other, the two women had lead him to what he had been told was _Heaven_. Éponine had chattered away animatedly, her whole face glowing with excitement for what being together in Heaven could mean for them, and Fantine had nodded in earnest, her silence not uncomfortable nor awkward, but instead one of peace.

Here, those who were lost on earth could find solace.

Politely, he had asked to be excused, so that he might have the opportunity to travel across the place alone, but ensured them that he would love to spend more time with them sometime soon.

Heaven, it seemed, was simply blank white space, until you modified it according to your own understanding of what it should be. Having just arrived, Valjean was still uncertain of what he was seeing, as he did not yet know what he expected to. The ground beneath him seemed to have no texture at all, yet still supported his weight. The air was thin, but Valjean wasn't sure of how he knew this, as he did not seem to be breathing. Nothing seemed to make much sound, and the silence combined with the air made him feel somewhat suffocated (but _again_ – how did he know?).

He wasn't even certain of what that meant anymore, _feeling_. He was still struggling with the concept of self, and what that meant now that he was in Heaven. He was just as old as he was when he passed on, and was wearing the same clothes, but some of his strength from his younger days seemed to have returned to him. His mind was functioning, and he had retained all his memories, but they had a faded, distant feeling to them. There was no doubt that he loved Cosette and her husband dearly, but he was in no position to feel concern or worry for their livelihoods. He only hoped that it would be quite some time still until he saw them again.

It seemed that _time_ , in Heaven, was rather different than the one he understood, so Valjean let himself enjoy a leisurely stroll across the empty landscape. As he did so, shrubs of green began to sprout, trees and vines growing, bearing fruits and blossoming flowers that colored the view before him in all varieties of colors - daffodils, peonies, irises, so many that Valjean abandoned his attempt to name them all. He became aware of warmth, and saw the sun shine brightly in a clear blue sky, and he began to sweat. He heard birds chirping. Standing still, he found himself inhaling fresh, minty, cool air, and as it entered him the only way he could think of how to describe it was that he seemed to be taking the first breath of life – and yet, it wasn't life as he had known it to be, it was something new and pure and unexplored and it filled him with an excitement he had long since forgotten.

"Enjoying yourself, are you?"

Valjean nearly lost his balance as he took several steps back, his eyebrows leaping to the top of his forehead, completely caught off guard by the silent arrival of— _oh god_.

Inspector Javert, not a day older than when Valjean last saw him, was dressed smartly yet comfortably, in a navy blue polo shirt, black pants, and loafers instead of boots. His back was straight and his arms were rigid at his sides, but there was an unmistakable atmosphere of relaxation around him that Valjean was confident Javert had never had before.

Javert snorted. "What, do you truly think I'm going to arrest you?"

For a moment Valjean considered the possibility that Javert had made a joke, but the sneer on his face made it difficult to be certain.

"You – you're _here_?" It occurred to Valjean that he should be ashamed of his shock, but the words were out and hanging between them before he was aware of it.

His lip curling, Javert drawled, "Surprising, isn't it."

Valjean shook his head automatically, but the jolt he had felt at the sound of Javert's voice was giving way to a bewilderment that overpowered his brain and made it exhausting to form thoughts. "How – how did you – how long have you – "

Javert cut him off. "Would you come follow me? I mean –” he dropped his gaze, and something like embarrassment appeared on his face – "it's just, you're making quite a number of queries, and it would be more convenient if we could discuss them over – " he seemed to lose confidence with each word – "only if you’re amenable to the idea, obviously, I mean, I wasn't certain if you'd take kindly to my sudden presence here but – "

Valjean laughed, unable to explain how Javert's shift in attitude seemed to calm him. "I'll go with you, Javert."

Javert hesitated slightly **,** and Valjean worried briefly that he had said something wrong, but eventually he was being led away from the garden. Despite the perplexing nature of time, Valjean felt as if they walked in complete, awkward silence for several minutes before he began to notice a subtle change in surroundings. The white had been replaced by darkness, but his vision wasn't obscured. They were walking on grass, and he could hear leaves crunching beneath him as they made their way further onwards. A small light burned fiercely somewhere off in the distance, and, after sniffing lightly, he identified it as fire. Not enough to be obtrusive, but enough that it radiated heat against the cool night, scorching the logs that it rested on.

Here Javert stopped, and Valjean noticed a small house nearby. He assumed that this was Javert's home, but the fire still didn't explain how he could see so clearly –

"Look up."

Obeying without question, Valjean gasped lightly as millions of balls of light filled his vision, scattered unevenly across the evening sky, sparkling brightly and illuminating everything before him. They covered the expanse entirely, like clouds of vibrant jewels; they twinkled as far as he could behold, all of different sizes, and he could make out several of the constellations he had learned. It felt as if he belonged with them, as if he could simply stretch out his arm and catch their brightness in his fist. They had a strange quality about them that he had never felt before, as if they were keeping him company, like they were old friends that had grown up together.

Valjean turned to stare questioningly at Javert, who had his head turned upwards. He wore a fond expression as he gazed at the sky, the light reflecting in his eyes, and it was another few seconds before he turned to face him.

"Stars," Javert said, as if that answered everything.

"This," he continued, waving his hand vaguely, "is my Heaven."

Before Valjean could speak, Javert gestured to a pair of chairs the former hadn't noticed earlier, or perhaps they had just appeared. "Would you like a seat?"

Nodding mutely, Valjean sat down, reflecting momentarily on how odd their relationship had become.

After he had arranged himself into a comfortable position, Javert spoke once more, his voice soft but clear nonetheless. "I apologize for the sudden intrusion."

Instantly, Valjean replied, "No, no, it's alright, really, just gave me – just gave me quite a shock – I," he shook his head, as if forcing his thoughts to organize themselves. "Just, you've been here longer than me, it seems, by how much I'm not sure, I don't wish to pry but – " He sighed, struggling to figure out the exact amount of questions he had, and which he wanted answered first. "Why did you come to me in the first place, and why did you know where I was?"

Javert seemed to ponder on this before responding, "Fantine informed me that she felt your time was arriving, I still cannot imagine how she forms such assumptions, considering that time in itself is nothing but a joke here, but I was inclined to believe her." His thick eyebrows were drawn together, as if he wasn't sure of how he should explain further. "There is no concept of _distance_ here either, so I simply walked until I found you."

"Until you found me," Valjean repeated.

"Until I found you," Javert confirmed.

Deciding to ignore his curiosity over how Fantine and Javert seemed to be on good terms, Valjean pushed forward his original question. "That doesn't answer me though, not completely. Why did you try to find me?"

Javert inhaled sharply, closing his eyes, and Valjean wondered why he bothered. "It seems," Javert began, "that trying to find you is all I ever do."

Unsure of how to respond, Valjean let the silence fill the space between them for what may have been hours, and he was sure that Javert was reminiscing on their lives, and how they had overlapped so heavily with each other.

Abruptly, Javert grabbed a small stone from the ground, rolled it in his hand, and hurled it. After watching it vanish into the darkness, he rubbed his forehead, his teeth bared in a grimace. With what seemed to be a large effort, he said, "I wanted to thank you. And – and to apologize."

"F-for what – ?"

"Valjean." Javert gazed directly at him. "I think you know the answer to that."

Valjean chuckled lightly. "Surely, I know what the apology was for, though I doubt it matters at all now, but why the thank you?"

"For fuck's sake, Valjean – " Javert began, then caught himself. More gently, he continued, "Sorry, I've been making attempts at cleaning out my vocabulary, but – " he sighed, then visibly forced himself to focus. "Do you think I am here for any reason other than your – " he spat out the next word as if it repulsed him to say it – " _mercy_?"

"I – I'm sorry, Javert, I don't – "

Javert rose to his feet, the volume of his voice increasing, it seemed something had exploded within him. " _You should have killed me that night._ At the barricades, no one would have faulted you for it, I _deserved_ to die, and yet  _you_ ," he snarled out the last word, his face contorting into an ugly expression, eyes flashing with anger and grinding his teeth. He gestured wildly with his arms, his movements growing as aggressive as his speech. "You _forgave_ me –" he barked out a laugh – "you forgave me for _ruining your life_ , for _never giving you a fucking break_ –" he seemed to struggle with himself for a moment, his anger stripping him of his ability to speak. He paced across his lawn thrice, legs and feet moving so quickly that Valjean felt himself grow dizzy merely watching him, before Javert breathed in slowly, held it, then exhaled. He did so a few more times before he turned to face Valjean and continued, his voice hollow.

"You believed in me."

The words seemed to bring physical pain to him, and he raised a hand to rub at his temples. "I told myself that I had accepted it, I settled down here, I even – " he grimaced, "I even think I made some _friends_ , I thought I could do this, I thought I could face you, but talking about all this feels so _abhorrent_ and – "

Valjean had risen up as well, and he had placed his hands up on Javert's shoulders, as if this was completely natural to him. "Breathe, Javert," he instructed, and Javert obeyed, inhaling slowly, then releasing it through his mouth.

"I'm aware that it's unnecessary, but I find that it calms me sometimes – "

"Then do it again."

_Inhale. Exhale._

_Inhale. Exhale._

_Inhale. Exhale._

"The sole reason," Javert continued, refusing to meet Valjean's eyes, "that I am able to stand here, is because you believed in me. You believed that I – that I could be something... different."

"That you could be someone good," Valjean said, his voice soft and gentle.

Javert chuckled humorlessly. "Yes. You did."

"I still do."

Javert remained silent.

"Do you –" Valjean lifted his gaze, but Javert wouldn't tear his eyes away from the sky – "do you believe that, too?"

Javert sighed. "I do."

He took Valjean's hands in his, and removed them from his shoulders. "As I said, it appears I've befriended some people I... would not have expected to." Still refusing to look at him, Javert continued, "I mean, I'm not entirely familiar with the concept, but we've been here together and having their company has, unexpectedly, made it somewhat bearable, so..."

Valjean's face broke into a grin, one of genuine happiness.

Javert fiddled with his sideburns uncertainly. "I – I am not accustomed to speaking so much. I apologize for digressing several times during our discussion. The reason I wished to speak with you was to express gratitude for your forgiveness, which granted me a chance to come here and," he faltered slightly, but pressed on, "give myself another chance."

Valjean nodded, having understood enough to satisfy him for the night. "May I visit again sometime, Javert?"

Javert shoved his hands into his pockets, still looking up at the stars. Valjean saw him swallow thickly before responding, "You – you will always be welcome here."

"Likewise with my home. I expect you'll be able to help me adjust to living – no that's the wrong word – " Valjean pressed his lips together, rubbing his large nose in thought.

"To staying here?" Javert supplied.

"Right. I expect you'll be able to help me adjust to staying here. If ever you would like to come over for whatever reason – I'd love to have your help with some gardening – " Valjean smiled up at him. "You know how to find me."

"That sounds... nice," Javert said, with a noticeable pause as he chose his phrasing, shifting his gaze on his feet. "Thank you, Valjean."

"You can call me Jean, you know."

For the first time since his outburst, Javert looked directly at Valjean. His mouth split wide open, all gums and pointed, misaligned teeth, and a sincere joy that shone in his eyes. "Thank you, Jean."

 

 


End file.
